Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 1.
| Team | Week 1 | Result | Up Next |
| Charlotte | vs William & Mary | L, 41-24 | vs Maryland |
| FAU | at Ohio | L, 41-38 | vs SE Louisiana |
| FIU | vs Bryant | W, 38-37 (OT) | at Texas St |
| LA Tech | at Missouri | L, 52-24 | vs SFA |
| MTSU | at James Madison | L, 44-7 | at Colorado St |
| North Texas | vs SMU | L, 48-10 | vs Texas Southern |
| Rice | at USC | L, 66-14 | vs McNeese St |
| UAB | vs Alabama A&M | W, 59-0 | at Liberty |
| UTEP | at Oklahoma | L, 45-13 | vs New Mexico St |
| UTSA | vs Houston | L, 37-35 (3OT) | at Army |
| WKU | at Hawaii | W, 49-17 | — OFF — |
Notable Week 1 results – Standings
Charlotte stumbles and MTSU plummets
Charlotte’s 2022 season couldn’t have started out much worse. Following an injury that forced him to miss a large portion of the 49ers’ opening game loss to FAU, starting quarterback Chris Reynolds was held out of their Week 1 loss to William& Mary. The Charlotte defense was battered for four quarters and the offense simply couldn’t keep up without their leader on the field as the Niners fell to 0-2.
It could have been worse, they could have been blown out by five touchdowns by a James Madison team currently in transition to the FBS. Sorry, Middle Tennessee.
FIU escapes
FIU filtered with disaster early and often against Bryant, falling behind 16-0 early and being forced to chip away. The Panthers made the gutsy call to go for two in overtime and were able to convert the try, earning a win. Struggling with an FCS program isn’t a good way to start the season, but the Panthers’ fans will take solace in the end result — a victory — compared to their conference brethren in Charlotte.
UTSA drops thriller to Cougars
In what might be the most epic game between Group of 5 teams this season, UTSA pushed Houston to the wire at the Alamodome on Saturday afternoon. Leading by two touchdowns entering the fourth quarter, UTSA was unable to quell a furious rally from Houston, ultimately falling in triple overtime. Both of the teams are going to be really, really good this year.
Looking ahead – Key storylines
No rest for the weary
Already in an early season rut, Charlotte is the only Conference USA football squad scheduled to face a Power 5 program in Week 2. They’ll have the privilege of hosting Maryland, but their home field advantage didn’t seem to matter much against William & Mary. Charlotte needs to exhibit some sort of spark to stop a flood of bad breaks this early in the year.
Home openers
Early season scheduling for Group of 5 programs typically means a lot of road trips. While several C-USA schools had their home openers in Week 0 and a few in Week 1, two schools will host their first home games of the year in Week 2: LA Tech (who hosts SFA) and Rice (who hosts McNeese State). Both will be favored at home after one-sided defeats in their season debuts.
Conference USA 2023 Preview
UTEP and New Mexico State meet this coming week for a non-conference matchup that will soon turn into an annual conference clash between two rival programs. The Miners are sticking around in C-USA next season while the Aggies make the jump up to the FBS into the league next year. Meanwhile UAB, which leaves for the American after this season, plays another future C-USA program, Liberty.
